Behind the Scenes: Tips to a Healthy Work and Fitness Lifestyle

Working in an office isn’t the first kind of work environment that most people think of when you are thinking about a physically demanding job. The Jungle Disk office is no different than most in this regard. Most will think of sedentary work with extended periods of sitting. Again, Jungle Disk is like most other offices in this way. For me personally, and others through conversation and research, this instigated my inactive lifestyle more than it already was. I eventually reached a point where I felt less energetic and unhealthy. I knew I needed to make a change (and I didn’t want to have to buy new larger clothes constantly as well). Today, I’d like to discuss some not so secret tips that helped me live a healthier and more fit lifestyle.

First and foremost, I would recommend taking a look at your eating habits. While I’m no nutritionist, this is agreed upon to be a starting point with most experts and people looking to start a healthier lifestyle. Usually, as was the case for me personally, people will simply consume more than they need to maintain their current mass. I’d say that there’s no one size fits all method to dieting. In general, I will say at the very least that being more conscious about your food choices is a good starting point and can go a long way. I happened to take a very methodical approach and measured every calorie and the macronutrients underlying each calorie by cooking most of my meals in a very measured and controlled manner. This can be a very daunting task and it most certainly was for me at the beginning, but I felt this was the best way for me as I tend to take this kind of approach to most things. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone as you can potentially burn yourself out with this approach. If you have time to eat, which most people do throughout their day, you’ve the ability to make healthier eating decisions.

While not of utmost importance, I’d also recommend some kind of physical activity. Again, this is of personal preference, but it can supplement your fitness goals. Although, I still stress heavily that nutrition is the largest factor. My personal preference was in the form of calisthenics. Because of my inactivity over a period of time, I had lost a lot of strength and endurance over the years and could barely do more than a few push-ups and zero pull-ups and dips. Now, I’m able to do handstand push-ups (although not free standing just quite yet) as well as muscle-ups and weighted dips with just under my bodyweight added in additional weight. I didn’t start there obviously and the “not so secret tips” that I mentioned earlier are really two simple things: Consistency and discipline.

While motivation can be a great starting point for some, I’ve found that motivation can be fleeting. There have been days on my journey and even currently where I’m not “motivated” to get a workout in or even certain foods can be tempting during a company potluck. Consistently sticking to your goals as well as having the discipline to stick to the rules you’ve set can go a long way. That said, I am human and I still enjoy foods outside of my typical diet every so often and will sometimes (rarely) miss a workout due to other obligations. Finding what works for you realistically and then seeing that plan out is where you’ll want to start.

(I’m on the right hand side of the picture. Recently attended the Texas Showdown in Houston, TX.)

Of course, if you require any assistance with your backups, or even have a question or two about my personal fitness journey, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or anyone on the support team!